“Globally 285 million people are needlessly blind or vision impaired and 90 per cent of the world’s vision impaired people live in developing countries. A staggering 80 per cent of vision impairment is preventable or treatable,” she said.

“This funding will enable Australian NGOs to continue to deliver life-changing programs and transform lives in Laos,” she said.

“Blindness is both a cause and consequence of poverty. It impacts not only individuals but entire communities. By improving eye care and reducing preventable blindness in Asia and the Pacific, we can reduce poverty in the region,” Ms Gersbeck said.